Amman, Oct. 27 (Petra) – The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) released a policy brief titled "Declining Age Dependency in Jordan: A Demographic Opportunity That Must Be Seized," underscoring that the Kingdom’s evolving population structure presents a pivotal moment to unlock long-term economic gains provided it is strategically leveraged.

The Forum explained that the age-dependency ratio the number of individuals below 15 or above 64 years old for every 100 people of working age (15–64 years) has recorded notable shifts over the past two decades. Data show that Jordan’s youth dependency ratio has fallen sharply, from 70% in 2000 to 53.8% in 2018, and further to 47.3% in 2024, reflecting a demographic transition toward a more productive population profile.

At the same time, the elderly dependency ratio has risen gradually, from 4.7% in 2000 to 5.8% in 2018 and 7% in 2024 an early signal of population aging that policymakers must anticipate and manage.

The Forum noted that Jordan’s demographic landscape remains dominated by youth, alongside continued declines in fertility and mortality rates and an expanding working-age segment. This convergence, it said, represents a demographic dividend a period in which the share of the labor force grows relative to dependents, creating conditions for accelerated and sustained economic growth.

JSF emphasized that seizing this window requires effective investment in human capital and productivity, particularly through education and labor market reforms. The declining number of dependent children, it argued, allows the state to redirect resources from expanding educational access toward enhancing quality, relevance, and alignment with labor market needs.

The Forum further noted that reduced dependency ratios free up fiscal space to boost national savings and channel greater investment into growth-enabling sectors, provided macroeconomic and social policies are coherent and forward-looking.

Concluding, the JSF underscored the importance of implementing the National Population Strategy 2021–2030, which places demographic transition at the heart of sustainable development planning. The strategy, it said, effectively links population dynamics growth, fertility, aging, and migration to economic transformation objectives, ensuring that Jordan’s demographic shift translates into tangible social and economic dividends.

//Petra// AA